What is it? VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. This means your voice will get sent across the Internet instead of through the traditional telephone circuit network. The biggest question you may have is why should I consider VOIP service over traditional phone service? This is the question I first had when considering VOIP as well. I found the advantages of VOIP far outweigh that of the traditional phone system. Among these advantages are significant cost savings, unlimited talking over both local and long distance, the ability to select any area code you want, and the huge amount of features available. Cost Savings The low-cost was my main reason for moving from the tradition phone system to VOIP. You can pay one low monthly fee and get all the features and advantages associated with Internet phone service. There are not near as many taxes and fees associate with VOIP phone service as there are with tradition phone providers. There are no surprises because you know your monthly rate. Unlimited Minutes Another huge advantage of VOIP is unlimited talking minutes for both local and long distance for one low fee. You could be in California and speak to someone in New York at anytime of day for as long as you want to without having to worry about per minute charges. Portability VOIP is a very portable service. It can be used permanently at home, or you can bring it with you while you travel. All you need is access to a high speed Internet connection. You can select any area code you wish to have your phone service through. This means you could have relatives a significant distance away whom you talk to quite often and you dont have to make them call long distance. This service benefited me very much while I was in college in Colorado and talking with my friends and parents in Michigan. Features Most of the extra features on traditional phone service lines can cost quite a bit of money. These features are now included as part of your normal rates with VOIP. These included features can include voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, and many, many more. I regularly receive voice messages and they are sent to my email as a sound attachment! I love the convenience. Other Information VOIP has so many advantages, but as with everything, there are potential downsides. The technology used by VOIP requires a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable to function properly. There is plenty of bandwidth in DSL and Cable Internet services for VOIP to function properly, but dialup just doesn't provide the bandwidth necessary. |
